Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2007-08: Chad Billins played in 60 games for Waterloo in his first USHL season and was the second-leading scorer amongst Black Hawks defensemen with 36 points. He scored 10 goals with 26 assists and was +4 with 81 penalty minutes. Waterloo finished second in the East Conference and lost to Omaha in the Clark Cup finals. Billins scored 5 goals with 4 assists and was -1 in 11 playoff games. In November he committed to playing college hockey at Ferris State in 2008-09.

2008-09: Billins played 27 games for Ferris State as a freshman. He scored 2 goals with 9 assists and was -5 with 38 penalty minutes. The Bulldogs finished ninth in the CCHA and were swept by Nebraska-Omaha in a first round playoff series.

2009-10: Billins skated in all 40 games for Ferris State in his sophomore season. Paired with Winnipeg prospect Zach Redmond, he scored 3 goals with 8 assists and was +3 with 26 penalty minutes. The Bulldogs finished third in the CCHA and reached the playoff semifinals —- falling to Northern Michigan in overtime — but did not receive an NCAA tournament bid after losing 2-1 to Miami in the CCHA third-place game.

2010-11: Billins played all 39 games for Ferris State in his junior season and was the second-leading scorer amongst Bulldogs defensemen behind Redmond. He scored 5 goals with 11 assists and was +1 with 20 penalty minutes. Three of his five goals came on the Bulldogs power play. Ferris State finished fifth in the CCHA and lost to Western Michigan in a three-game CCHA quarterfinal series.

2011-12: Billins was a co-captain in his senior season at Ferris State as the Bulldogs finished first in the CCHA and reached the Frozen Four championship game. He was the leading scorer amongst Bulldogs defensemen, scoring 7 goals and finishing second amongst all skaters with 22 assists. Billins was a career-best +11 with 24 penalty minutes in 43 games. The Bulldogs stumbled in the CCHA tournament after finishing with the league’s best record, dropping a pair of overtime games against Bowling Green in a best-of-three quarterfinal series. Ferris State defeated Denver (2-1) and Cornell (2-1) to win the Midwest Regional and then knocked off Union, 3-1, in the Frozen Four semifinal before falling to Boston College in the championship.

2012-13: Billins signed an AHL contract with Detroit affiliate Grand Rapids and played 76 games with the Griffins in his first pro season. He scored 10 goals with 27 assists and was +11 with 24 penalty minutes. He attended Detroit’s training camp in January but was not signed to a contract. The Griffins finished first in the Midwest Division and captured the AHL’s Calder Cup. Billins scored 2 goals with 12 assists and was +5 with 12 penalty minutes in 24 AHL playoff games. He signed a one-year contract as a free agent with Calgary in July, 2013.

Talent Analysis

Billins is a smaller defender who possesses exceptional speed and offensive upside. The 5’10, 174-pound defender has excellent hockey IQ and can play in all situations. Billins can quarterback the power play unit and recorded 37 points in 76 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2012-13.

Future

The Calgary Flames signed Billins to a one-year entry-level contract in July 2013, and he now finds himself in Abbotsford as the 2013-14 season begins. Billins will be part of a unit that will be looking to improve the Heat’s defense. Ultimately, Billins will be playing for a roster position with the Flames and will need to continue with his solid defense and offensive play to make an impact on management. In seven games this season with the Heat, Billins has already tallied three goals.

Photo: Rookie Sean Monahan, selected sixth overall at the 2013 draft, leads the Flames with 19 goals on the season (courtesy of Derek Leung/Getty Images)

While the Calgary Flames are set to miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, there are positive indications the trend will be changing soon with the growing batch of prospects excelling in the system.

Photo: Winger Ben Hanowski, part of Calgary’s return from Pittsburgh in the Jarome Iginla trade last season, is part of a strong class of rookie forwards in Abbotsford (courtesy of John Rivera/Icon SMI)

Brian Burke, President of Hockey Operations, recently turned up the heat in Calgary by relieving former GM Jay Feaster and Assistant GM John Weisbrod of their duties with the organization.

Photo: Recently recalled to the AHL, Laurent Brossoit will open his rookie pro career in a timeshare with Reto Berra in Abbotsford (courtesy of John Rivera/Icon SMI)

A year can surely make a difference for an NHL organization, and for the Calgary Flames, 2013 could prove to be their lucky year as the team changes directions. Calgary was fortunate enough to acquire eight valuable prospects in the 2013 NHL Draft to build a new foundation.